Landing Strings

In addition to tubulars optimized for the torque demands of drilling, Grant Prideco™ manufactures high strength landing strings. With the same general design of drill pipe, our landing strings are optimized to provide the highest possible tensile strength to allow for landing heavy equipment and casing to the well. A landing string is used to run and land casing and other equipment on offshore wells and particularly deep water. It is based on drill pipe with wall thickness in excess of API Specification 5DP (Specification for Drill Pipe). Landing strings are popular because of compatibility with conventional drill pipe handling systems. This type of system allows for higher running speed than alternative landing methods. Where traditional drill strings focus primarily on ability to transfer drilling torque, landing strings are designed to provide higher tensile capacity, as well as increased elevator capacity and slip crushing resistance.

Elevator Capacity

As string weight increases, the load capacity can be limited by the string’s ability to sit in the elevator. With the Grant Prideco™ Smooth Edge™ feature, the elevator shoulder can be made slightly wider without changing tool joint OD.

Slip Crushing Resistance

With an extremely high tensile load applied to some landing strings, slips have the potential to crush the drill pipe body when seated on slips. Large diameter pipe is even more prone to crushing. To overcome slip crushing, one option is to increase the nominal pipe body wall. However, this greatly increases the weight of the string itself. A second option is to include the Grant Prideco™ Slip-Proof™ feature. Slip-Proof landing strings include a section just below the box (where the slips are set) with an increased wall thickness. This feature helps the string overcome the danger of slip crushing with a minimal effect on the weight of the drill string.